High speed communication

ABSTRACT

The disclosure has application for use in establishing a communication link between a first location and a second location, the first location having an electrical driver circuit that receives input data to be communicated, and the second location having an electrical receiver circuit for producing output data representative of the input data. The method includes the following steps: providing a tilted charge light emitting device at the first location and coupled with the driver circuit such that the light produced by the tilted charge light-emitting device is a function of the input data; providing an optical fiber between the first and second locations; coupling light from the tilted charge light emitting device into the optical fiber; and providing, at the second location, a photodetector coupled with the optical fiber and with the receiver circuit; whereby electrical signals representative of the input data are output from the receiver circuit.

PRIORITY CLAIMS

Priority is claimed from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.61/280,822, filed Nov. 9, 2009, and from U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/403,750, filed Sep. 21, 2010, and both of saidProvisional Applications are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the field of data communication links, andalso to improvement of existing so-called copper communication links,and to improved electro-optical communication links and techniques, andalso to improved electro-optical differential signaling techniques.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cable links commonly serve the functions of transmitting electricalpower and transmitting electrical signals. When used to transmitsignals; the cable links are called data interconnects. When the cablelink media is made of an electrically conductive material, it isconventionally called a copper data interconnect, or copper link,whether the metal is strictly copper, or another conductor such asaluminum or an alloy. This convention will be used herein.

Copper cables used in copper links are intrinsically lossy media whereinthe signal's higher frequency components are attenuated at higher rates(dB/m) than low frequency components. Attenuation can be reduced, butnot eliminated, by using larger gauge wires. Therefore, as the speed ofdata rate increases to the presently used 3.4 Gbits/s per channel(HDMI), or even 4.8 Gbit/s (for USB 3.0), copper cable wires have becomeincreasingly bulky and expensive, and the overall cable package isunattractive even for transmission distances of less than 5 meters. Tocompensate for losses in wires, copper transmitter chips have built inpre-emphasis circuitry that amplifies high frequency components of thedigital signal before driving the signal over the copper line. On thecopper receiver side, a cable equalizer is generally built-in tore-amplify high frequency components (or attenuate low frequencycomponents) of the digital signal. A complete copper link may includethe use of either or both pre-emphasis and equalizer.

An example is shown in FIG. 1, in which a transmitter chipset isrepresented by block 110, a receiver chipset is represented by block120, and a copper cable 150 connects the transmitter and receiverlocations. At the transmitter, input data is received by drivercircuitry 112, which operates in conjunction with pre-emphasis circuitry114 to generate the signal transmitted over cable 150. At the receiver,the received signal is coupled with equalizer 122 and limiting amplifierand driver 124, which produces the output data.

In addition to the limitations and disadvantages already mentioned, thecopper link consumes relatively high power, can require expensive EMIshielding, and involves use of substantial amounts of non-recyclablematerials.

An optical link can eliminate certain copper link disadvantages, but ata higher initial cost and higher power consumption. The use of fibercable to directly replace a copper channel requires the addition of anE-O (electrical to optical) transducer and an O-E (optical toelectrical) transducer, each of which has to be powered and managedusing the existing power sources and control circuitry from the coppertransmitter chipset and copper receiver chipset. The E-to-O function forgigabit data transmission via fiber has been traditionally achievedthrough the use of directly modulated laser diode devices or withexternal modulation techniques, such as electro absorption modulators orphotonic switches. However, these techniques require additional feedbackcontrol integrated circuitry (ICs) and additional drivers (opticaldrivers) that consume substantial power and significantly add to cost.For receiver chipsets where the copper cable equalizer transferfunctions are fixed, signal exiting from the OE transducer may need tobe re-shaped (i.e attenuation of high frequency component signals) inorder to match to the copper cable equalizers.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the FIG. 1 data link in which the coppercable has been replaced by a fiber cable 250 with the typical furtherrequired circuitry. The transmitter chipset and receiver chipsetcorrespond to components in FIG. 1 of like reference numerals. In FIG.2, an electrical-to-optical transducer is represented at 232 and anoptical-to-electrical transducer is represented at 262. When the EOtransducer comprises a laser diode, or a combination of laser diode andmodulator, it requires additional control and driver circuitry,represented at 235. Additionally, because the built-in equalizer of thereceiver chipset has a particular transfer function if optimized forlosses in copper cable, additional signal re-shaping circuitry(including, for example, a limiting amplifier and/or transimpedanceamplifier), represented at 265, may be required to match OE outputcharacteristics to the built-in equalizer. As above-indicated, thisadditional circuitry is expensive and consumes relatively high power.Therefore, for short distances, (e.g. less than 30 meters), transfer ofsignal over copper media is generally still preferred due to itsrelatively lower implementation cost.

It is among the objects of a first aspect of the invention to provide asolution to the problems and limitations associated with converting acopper data link to a data link using an optical cable.

The bulk of high speed transmission based on copper data links orinterconnects utilizes differential signaling methods. In differentialsignaling, two signals, identical in magnitude but exactly 180°out-of-phase, are used in order to maintain signal integrity. Since alldata processing and data generation has its roots in integratedcircuits, which are electrical devices and therefore generate electricalsignals, copper based transmission utilizing differential signaling isthe dominant method of data transfer for electrical systems. Existingdifferential signaling is illustrated in the simplified diagram of FIG.3. At copper driver 330, the differential signal comprises data signalV+ and data signal V−, and these are coupled over copper transmissionline or link 350 which, in this example, also carries ground referencepotential.

When trying to establish or extend a high speed data interconnect overrelatively long distance, an optical fiber based interconnect utilizinga diode emitter such as a laser, VCSEL, or light emitting diode, may beused to extend the transmission line of the copper interconnect. Asindicated previously, the optical high speed data interconnect startswith a copper driver and eventually ends with a copper receiver, sinceall present data systems originate and terminate from and intoelectrical processes.

In FIG. 4, a schematic of an existing optical interconnect link extenderis illustrated. Shown in the diagram are copper driver 430, equalizer435, optical driver 440, diode emitter 445, fiber optical waveguide 450,diode detector 455 transimpedance amplifier 460, limiting amplifier 470,and copper receiver 480. The Figure demonstrates that since diode lightemitters are single ended devices, only one of the data signals (V1+) isused while the other signal is terminated (wasted), via 50 ohm resistor439 in this example. The signal V1+ from copper driver 430 is passedthough equalizer 435, generating a conditioned output V2+ which is fedinto optical driver 440. The optical driver converts the input voltagesignal into an equivalent current signal (I1+). This step is necessarysince present state of the art VCSELs, lasers and LEDs are operated ascurrent driven devices. The current signal is fed into the diodeemitter, generating photon signals. The emitted photon signals can thenbe coupled into optical waveguide 450 (i.e. fiber) or simply via freespace. At the output end of the optical waveguide is diode detector 455which converts photons into photocurrent (I2+). The photocurrent iscoupled to transmpedance amplifier (TIA) 460 which converts thephotocurrent into an amplified voltage signal and also converts thesingle ended signal into a differential signal (V3+ and V3−). Thedifferential signal is fed into limiting amplifier 470 to furtheramplify the signal (V4+ and V4−). Finally, the amplified differentialsignal is coupled into a copper receiver, completing the datatransmission.

It is among the objects of a further aspect of the invention to provideimprovements to high speed electro-optical data interconnects of thetype just described, including making them more efficient and lessexpensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A form of the invention has application for use in establishing acommunication link between a first location and a second location, thefirst location having an electrical driver circuit that receives inputdata to be communicated, and the second location having an electricalreceiver circuit for producing output data representative of the inputdata. An embodiment of a method is set forth, including the followingsteps: providing a tilted charge light emitting device at said firstlocation and coupled with said driver circuit such that the lightproduced by said tilted charge light-emitting device is a function ofsaid input data; providing an optical fiber between said first andsecond locations; coupling light from said tilted charge light emittingdevice into said optical fiber; and providing, at said second location,a photodetector coupled with said optical fiber and with said receivercircuit; whereby electrical signals representative of said input dataare output from said receiver circuit.

Another embodiment of this form of the invention has application for usein establishing a communication link between a first location and asecond location, the first location having a transmitter chipset thatreceives input data to be communicated, and the second location having areceiver chipset for producing output data representative of the inputdata. A method is set forth, including the following steps: providing atilted charge light emitting device at said first location and coupledwith said transmitter chipset such that the light produced by saidtilted charge light-emitting device is a function of said input data;providing an optical fiber between said first and second locations;coupling light from said tilted charge light emitting device into saidoptical fiber; and providing, at said second location, a photodetectorcoupled with said optical fiber and with said receiver; wherebyelectrical signals representative of said input data are output fromsaid receiver chipset. In an embodiment of this form of the invention,the transmitter chipset includes a driver circuit, and the step ofproviding a tilted charge light-emitting device coupled with thetransmitter chipset comprises directly coupling said tilted charge lightemitting device with said driver circuit. In a form of this embodiment,the driver circuit includes an open collector transistor and said stepof providing said tilted charge light-emitting device coupled with saiddriver circuit comprises coupling the collector of said transistor withsaid tilted charge light-emitting device.

Another embodiment of this form of the invention has application for usein improving a communication link between a first location and a secondlocation, the first location having an electrical driver circuit thatreceives input data to be communicated, and the second location havingan electrical receiver circuit for producing output data representativeof said input data, said link being adapted to have an electricallyconductive cable coupled between said electrical driver circuit and saidelectrical receiver circuit. A method is set forth including thefollowing steps: removing said electrically conductive cable; providinga tilted charge light emitting device at said first location and coupledwith said driver circuit such that the light produced by said tiltedcharge light-emitting device is a function of said input data; providingan optical fiber between said first and second locations; coupling lightfrom said tilted charge light emitting device into said optical fiber;and providing, at said second location, a photodetector coupled withsaid optical fiber and with said receiver circuit; whereby electricalsignals representative of said input data are output from said receivercircuit.

In accordance with a further form of the invention, a technique is setforth for high speed communication of input information, including thefollowing steps: producing a pair of phase-opposed electrical signalsrepresentative of said input information; providing a three terminaltilted-charge light-emitting device in a common collector configuration;applying one of said phase-opposed signals to a base-collector input ofsaid tilted charge light-emitting device and the other of said phaseopposed signals to an emitter-collector input of said tilted chargelight-emitting device, to produce an optical signal as a function ofboth of said phase-opposed signals; communicating said optical signal toa receiving location; and receiving said optical signal at saidreceiving location and converting said optical signal to an outputelectrical signal representative of said input information. The opticalsignal, which is a function of both of said phase-opposed signals, isproportional to the sum of the absolute values of the phase-opposedsignals.

An embodiment of this form of the invention further comprises the stepof applying first and second equalizer functions to respective ones ofsaid pair of phase-opposed electrical signals before applying saidphase-opposed signals to said tilted charge light-emitting device. Inthis embodiment, the step of applying said first equalizer functionincludes applying a first type of frequency filtering, and said step ofapplying said second equalizer function includes applying a second typeof frequency filtering that is different than said first type offrequency filtering. The first type of frequency filtering can compriselow pass filtering and said second type of frequency filtering cancomprise high pass filtering, and bandwidth enhancement can accordinglybe achieved.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become morereadily apparent from the following detailed description when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a conventional communicationslink using a copper cable.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a conventional replacement by a fiberoptical link, with typical further required circuitry, for the copperlink of the FIG. 1 system.

FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of a communication system with acopper transmission line, utilizing differential signaling.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example of a conventional fiber opticalcommunication system using differential signals.

FIG. 5 is a simplified block diagram of an idealized fiber link forreplacement into a copper communications link.

FIG. 6 is a simplified schematic diagram of a conventional driver andreceiver for a copper communications link.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a fiber optical communications link inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a fiber optical communications link inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a light emitting transistor andassociated circuitry configured for use in an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram, partially in block form, of a fiberoptical communications system using differential signaling, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram, partially in block form, of a duplexfiber optical communication link employing an embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 5 is a diagram of an idealized fiber link for connection between atransmitter chipset 110 (as in FIG. 1) and a receiver chipset 120 (asalso in FIG. 1) of the copper link illustrated in FIG. 1, but with thecopper cable replaced by fiber link 550, an electrical-to-optical (EO)converter 532, and an optical-to-electrical (OE) converter 562. Asdescribed, for example, in conjunction with FIG. 2, however, substantialadditional circuitry is presently required in conjunction with theconversion from a copper cable to a fiber link. A challenge hereof wasto eliminate the need for some or all of the additional circuitry, andalso to have the EO and OE converters powered by existing coppertransmitter and copper receiver chipsets (and not externally powered)and be matched directly to existing built-in pre-emphasis and copperequalizers in the existing chipsets without the addition of the costlyinterface circuitry that is presently needed. Ideally, the EO-fibercable-OE link should replicate the transfer function of the copper cable(in order to look comparable to the copper driver and receiver signalconditioners), consume lesser or comparable power, and be costcomparable or less than the copper solution.

Embodiments of the present invention employ so-called “tilted charge”light emitting devices. Light-emitting transistors, transistor lasers,and certain two terminal light emitters and lasers, developed during thelast few years, are sometimes referred to as “tilted charge” devices,owing to the “tilted” base charge distribution (as can be seen on thedevice band diagram) which locks the base electron-hole recombination in“competition” with the charge “collection” at the reverse-biasedcollector or drain junction, thus selecting (“filtering”) and allowingonly “fast” recombination in the base (assisted by one or more quantumsize regions) at an effective lifetime of the order of picoseconds. Asused herein, the terms “tilted charge light emitter” or “tilted chargelight emitting device”, or similar terms, are intended to include suchlight-emitting transistors, transistor lasers, and certain two terminallight emitters and lasers having the described “tilted” base chargedistribution. Reference can be made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,091,082,7,286,583, 7,354,780, 7,535,034 and 7,693,195; U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication Numbers US2005/0040432, US2005/0054172, US2008/0240173,US2009/0134939, US2010/0034228, US2010/0202483, and US2010/0202484; andto PCT International Patent Publication Numbers WO/2005/020287 andWO/2006/093883. Reference can also be made to the followingpublications: Light-Emitting Transistor: Light Emission From InGaP/GaAsHeterojunction Bipolar Transistors, M. Feng, N. Holonyak, Jr., and W.Hafez, Appl. Phys. Lett. 84, 151 (2004); Quantum-Well-BaseHeterojunction Bipolar Light-Emitting Transistor, M. Feng, N. Holonyak,Jr., and R. Chan, Appl. Phys. Lett. 84, 1952 (2004); Type-II GaAsSb/InPHeterojunction Bipolar Light-Emitting Transistor, M. Feng, N. Holonyak,Jr., B. Chu-Kung, G. Walter, and R. Chan, Appl. Phys. Lett. 84, 4792(2004); Laser Operation Of A Heterojunction Bipolar Light-EmittingTransistor, G. Walter, N. Holonyak, Jr., M. Feng, and R. Chan, Appl.Phys. Lett. 85, 4768 (2004); Microwave Operation And Modulation Of ATransistor Laser, R. Chan, M. Feng, N. Holonyak, Jr., and G. Walter,Appl. Phys. Lett. 86, 131114 (2005); Room Temperature Continuous WaveOperation Of A Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor Laser, M. Feng, N.Holonyak, Jr., G. Walter, and R. Chan, Appl. Phys. Lett. 87, 131103(2005); Visible Spectrum Light-Emitting Transistors, F. Dixon, R. Chan,G. Walter, N. Holonyak, Jr., M. Feng, X. B. Zhang, J. H. Ryou, and R. D.Dupuis, Appl. Phys. Lett. 88, 012108 (2006); The Transistor Laser, N.Holonyak and M Feng, Spectrum, IEEE Volume 43, Issue 2, February 2006;Signal Mixing In A Multiple Input Transistor Laser Near Threshold, M.Feng, N. Holonyak, Jr., R. Chan, A. James, and G. Walter, Appl. Phys.Lett. 88, 063509 (2006); and Collector Current Map Of Gain AndStimulated Recombination On The Base Quantum Well Transitions Of ATransistor Laser, R. Chan, N. Holonyak, Jr., A. James , and G. Walter,Appl. Phys. Lett. 88, 14508 (2006); Collector Breakdown In TheHeterojunction Bipolar Transistor Laser, G. Walter, A. James, N.Holonyak, Jr., M. Feng, and R. Chan, Appl. Phys. Lett. 88, 232105(2006); High-Speed (/spl ges/1 GHz) Electrical And Optical Adding,Mixing, And Processing Of Square-Wave Signals With A Transistor Laser,M. Feng, N. Holonyak, Jr., R. Chan, A. James, and G. Walter, PhotonicsTechnology Letters, IEEE Volume: 18 Issue: 11 (2006); Graded-BaseInGaN/GaN Heterojunction Bipolar Light-Emitting Transistors, B. F.Chu-Kung et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 89, 082108 (2006); Carrier LifetimeAnd Modulation Bandwidth Of A Quantum Well AlGaAs/InGaP/GaAs/InGaAsTransistor Laser, M. Feng, N. Holonyak, Jr., A. James, K. Cimino, G.Walter, and R. Chan, Appl. Phys. Lett. 89, 113504 (2006); Chirp In ATransistor Laser, Franz-Keldysh Reduction of The Linewidth Enhancement,G. Walter, A. James, N. Holonyak, Jr., and M. Feng, Appl. Phys. Lett.90, 091109 (2007); Photon-Assisted Breakdown, Negative Resistance, AndSwitching In A Quantum-Well Transistor Laser, A. James, G. Walter, M.Feng, and N. Holonyak, Jr., Appl. Phys. Lett. 90, 152109 (2007);Franz-Keldysh Photon-Assisted Voltage-Operated Switching of a TransistorLaser, A. James, N. Holonyak, M. Feng, and G. Walter, PhotonicsTechnology Letters, IEEE Volume: 19 Issue: 9 (2007); ExperimentalDetermination Of The Effective Minority Carrier Lifetime In TheOperation Of A Quantum-Well n-p-n Heterojunction Bipolar Light-EmittingTransistor Of Varying Base Quantum-Well Design And Doping, H. W. Then,M. Feng, N. Holonyak, Jr., and C. H. Wu, Appl. Phys. Lett. 91, 033505(2007); Charge Control Analysis Of Transistor Laser Operation, M. Feng,N. Holonyak, Jr., H. W. Then, and G. Walter, Appl. Phys. Lett. 91,053501 (2007); Optical Bandwidth Enhancement By Operation And ModulationOf The First Excited State Of A Transistor Laser, H. W. Then, M. Feng,and N. Holonyak, Jr., Appl. Phys. Lett. 91, 183505 (2007); Modulation OfHigh Current Gain (β>49) Light-Emitting InGaN/GaN Heterojunction BipolarTransistors, B. F. Chu-Kung, C. H. Wu, G. Walter, M. Feng, N. Holonyak,Jr., T. Chung, J.-H. Ryou, and R. D. Dupuis, Appl. Phys. Lett. 91,232114 (2007); Collector Characteristics And The Differential OpticalGain Of A Quantum-Well Transistor Laser, H. W. Then, G. Walter, M. Feng,and N. Holonyak, Jr., Appl. Phys. Lett. 91, 243508 (2007); TransistorLaser With Emission Wavelength at 1544 nm, F. Dixon, M. Feng, N.Holonyak, Jr., Yong Huang, X. B. Zhang, J. H. Ryou, and R. D. Dupuis,Appl. Phys. Lett. 93, 021111 (2008); Optical Bandwidth Enhancement OfHeterojunction Bipolar Transistor Laser Operation With An Auxiliary BaseSignal, H. W. Then, G. Walter, M. Feng, and N. Holonyak, Jr. Appl. Phys.Lett. 93, 163504 (2008); Bandwidth Extension By Trade-Off Of ElectricalAnd Otical Gain In A Transistor Laser: Three-Terminal Control, H. W.Then, M. Feng, and N. Holonyak, Jr. Appl. Phys. Lett. 94, 013509 (2009);Tunnel Junction Transistor Laser, M. Feng, N. Holonyak, Jr., H. W. Then,C. H. Wu, and G. Walter Appl. Phys. Lett. 94, 041118 (2009);Electrical-Optical Signal Mixing And Multiplication (2 GHz) With ATunnel Junction Transistor Laser, H. W. Then, C. H. Wu, G. Walter, M.Feng, and N. Holonyak, Jr. Appl. Phys. Lett. 94, 101114 (2009); ScalingOf Light Emitting Transistor For Multigigahertz Optical Bandwidth, C. H.Wu, G. Walter, H. W. Then, M. Feng, and N. Holonyak, Jr. Appl. Phys.Lett. 94, 171101 (2009). Device Performance Of Light EmittingTransistors With C-Doped And Zn-Doped Base Layers, Huang, Y., Ryou,J.-H., Dupuis, R.D., Dixon, F., Holonyak, N., Feng, M., Indium Phosphide& Related Materials, 2009; IPRM '09. IEEE International Conference,10-14 May 2009, Pages 387-390; Tilted-Charge High Speed (7 GHz) LightEmitting Diode, G. Walter, C. H. Wu, H. W. Then, M. Feng, and N.Holonyak, Jr. Appl. Phys. Lett. 94, 231125 (2009); 4.3 GHz OpticalBandwidth Light Emitting Transistor, G. Walter, C. H. Wu, H. W. Then, M.Feng, and N. Holonyak, Jr. Appl. Phys. Lett. 94, 241101 (2009); andResonance-Free Frequency Response Of A Semiconductor Laser, M. Feng, H.W. Then, N. Holonyak, Jr., G. Walter, and A. James Appl. Phys. Lett. 95,033509 (2009).

In the following example of an embodiment of the invention, as describedin conjunction with FIGS. 7 and 8, a commercial HDMI 1.3a copper link 15is used as a starting point. The open collector driver is one of themost common methods of driving signal across a copper link. It is widelyused in existing copper interconnect standards such as HDMI, DVI, andPCIe. It is also the most common driving method in chip-to-chipinterconnects. In FIG. 6, a prior art single ended connection is shownto demonstrate how signal is conventionally transferred from the driverend to the receiver end. In FIG. 6, the driver includes transistor 615and a current source 620 in the emitter circuit thereof. The data signal(“1” or “0”) is applied to the transistor base, and the transistorcollector is coupled with the copper cable. At the receiver, the signalis converted, using a resistive component represented by R, to a voltagerepresentative of either “0” (=V_(cc)) or “1” (=V_(cc)−IR). A pair ofsuch single ended connections is used to form a differential pair(described further hereinbelow), for a conventional copper channel. Forthe HDMI standard, Vcc is generally 3.3 Volts. HDMI contains four highspeed copper channels.

FIG. 7 illustrates how a tilted charge light emitting transistor and aphotoreceiver such as a phototransistor may be used to directly replacea copper channel based on an open collector copper driver, as used in aHDMI 1.3a standard. In FIG. 7, the driver and receiver are the same aswas shown for the copper channel of FIG. 6. The transistor 615 of thisexample is an NPN transistor. A tilted charge light-emitting device 640is advantageously employed as an electro-optical converter. In theillustrated embodiment, the tilted charge light-emitting device 640 is aPNP light-emitting transistor, which may be, for example, of the typedisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,535,034, of G. Walter, et al. The driverinput is coupled with the base terminal of the light-emitting transistor640. The emitter thereof is biased with voltage V_(s), and the emittedlight is coupled into optical fiber link 650, which replaces the coppercable. The voltage (V_(s)) required to power the tilted charge devicecan be directly connected to the +5 V power supply, provided by the HDMItransmitter chipset. At the receiver end, in this embodiment, a PNPphototransistor 660 operates to convert the optical signal to anelectrical signal. The phototransistor is powered directly by the sameVcc that powered the copper link. In this example, the optical linkutilizes only one of the two available copper connections that form acopper channel. The other copper connection may be left unconnected orbe used to power the tilted charge light emitting transistor.

In the embodiment of FIG. 8, the tilted charge light-emitting deviceused for electro-optical conversion is a tilted charge light-emittingdiode, which may, for example, be of the type disclosed in U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. US2010/0202483 of G. Walter, et al. Asbefore, the tilted charge device, optical fiber, and a photoreceiversuch as a phototransistor can be used to directly replace a copperchannel based on an open collector copper driver, as used in a HDMI 1.3astandard. Also as before, the voltage (V_(s)) required to power thetilted charge device can be directly connected to the +5 V power supply,provided by the HDMI transmitter chipset.

The described high speed optical data link can be used for both simplex(one way) and duplex (two way) data links. Examples of one way data linkapplication standards are HDMI, DVI, and Displayport. Examples of twoway data link application standards are Infiniband, Fiber Channel,Gigabit Ethernet, USB, XAUI, PCI-e, SAS, SATA. For two way communicationthere will be, at each end, a pair or a plurality of pairs oftransmitter and receiver.

A further aspect of the invention involves a unique electro-opticalcommunication technique that utilizes an electrical to optical voltagedifferentiator. FIG. 9 is a diagram of a tilted charge light emittingdevice in the form of an NPN light-emitting transistor (see theabove-referenced patent and publication documents). As shown in thediagram, the device is in a common collector configuration, with an RFsource V₁ applied to the base-collector input port and an RF source V₂applied to the emitter-collector input port. The RF signal V₁ is appliedvia capacitor C₁ and the RF signal V₂ is applied via capacitor C₂. Thebase is biased with voltage V_(B) via inductor L₁ and the emitter isbiased with voltage V_(E) via inductor L₂.

When both electrical ports (BC port and EC port) of a common collectortilted charge device are fed with respective RF signals, the outputoptical signal (P_(hv)) is proportional to the difference of the twoinput signal voltages. When biased as shown, the common collector tiltedcharge device operates as an electrical to optical voltagedifferentiator. If V₂ is characterized so that it is 180° out-of-phasewith V₁, then the resulting P_(hv)∝|V₁|+|V₂|. In the configuration ofFIG. 9, the NPN tilted charge device is biased where V_(B)−V_(E)(V_(BE))is larger than the junction turn on voltage and whereV_(B)−V_(C)(V_(BC)) is less than the turn on voltage of the V_(BC)junction.

As described further in conjunction with FIG. 10, a common collectortilted charge device, configured as shown in FIG. 9, simplifies andimproves the transmit side of the optical based interconnect. In theFIG. 10 embodiment, the copper driver 1030 is similar to the copperdriver 430 of FIG. 4. In this case, both of the differential signals V1+and V1− are equalized using equalizer 1035 (unlike the prior art of FIG.4, where one of the differential signals is discarded). The equalizedsignals V2− and V2+ are respectively coupled to the base and emitter oflight-emitting transistor 910 (i.e., as the inputs V₁ and V₂ of thedevice as configured and biased in the FIG. 9 description) to obtain anoptical output signal. After this stage, the system is similar to theprior art system of FIG. 4; namely, including diode detector 455,transimpedance amplifier 460, limiting amplifier 470, and copperreceiver 480. There are important advantages to the embodiment of FIG.10. First, it allows up to two times larger voltage swing in the tiltedcharge device than was available for light emitting diode 445 of theprior art technique of FIG. 4. This is advantageous when the inputsignal (V1+) is fixed and operating the device single-ended does notprovide the desired voltage swing, and is particularly useful in whendriving a low impedance device, such as a transistor laser. (The threeterminal tilted charge device can alternatively be a transistor laser.)Secondly, two separate equalizers with independent characteristics canoptionally be applied to V1+ and V1−, resulting in a customizablevoltage difference into the tilted charge device. For example, for onechannel, the equalizer maybe characterized as a low pass filter, and thesecond equalizer may be characterized as a high pass filter. (As used inthis context, filtering can mean attenuation and/or amplification ofselected frequency bands.) The resulting optical output will exhibithigher bandwidth. Also, a spontaneous device tilted charge device whichhas a 20 dB/decade slope can be advantageous when coupled with a highpass equalizer to achieve efficiency-bandwidth tradeoff which trades offRF optical output efficiency with optical bandwidth.

FIG. 11 shows how a so-called SuperSpeed component of USB 3.0, whichconsists of two half-duplex links, can be modified using the techniqueshereof to replace the usual copper cable components that are coupledbetween connectors of a host and a device. The host 110 includestransmitter amplifier 1102 and receiver amplifier 1104, and the deviceincludes transmitter amplifier 1182 and receiver amplifier 1184. Therespective transmitter outputs are capacitively coupled (blocks 1115 and1175) with connectors 1125 and 1165, which also couple the receivedsignals to the respective receiver amplifiers. However, instead of theusual copper cable components, two fiber optical active cablesubsystems, of the types herein described, with associated transmittersutilizing tilted charge devices, are employed to advantage. Theresultant improvements in efficiency of operation and long term costsavings, as have been described above, will be evident for this andother applications.

The invention has been described with reference to particular preferredembodiments, but variations within the spirit and scope of the inventionwill occur to those skilled in the art. For example, while theillustrated embodiments have described primarily employment of tiltedcharge light emitting diodes and light emitting transistors, laserversions of these devices (tilted charge laser diodes and transistorlasers) can alternatively be employed, where appropriate.

1. For use in establishing a communication link between a first locationand a second location, said first location having an electrical drivercircuit that receives input data to be communicated, and said secondlocation having an electrical receiver circuit for producing output datarepresentative of said input data; a method comprising the steps of:providing a tilted charge light emitting device at said first locationand coupled with said driver circuit such that the light produced bysaid tilted charge light-emitting device is a function of said inputdata; providing an optical fiber between said first and secondlocations; coupling light from said tilted charge light emitting deviceinto said optical fiber; providing, at said second location, aphotodetector coupled with said optical fiber and with said receivercircuit; whereby electrical signals representative of said input dataare output from said receiver circuit.
 2. The method as defined by claim1, wherein said step of providing a tilted charge light-emitting devicecomprises providing a tilted charge light-emitting diode.
 3. The methodas defined by claim 1, wherein said step of providing a tilted chargelight-emitting device comprises providing a tilted charge diode laser.4. The method as defined by claim 1, wherein said step of providing atilted charge light-emitting device comprises providing a tilted chargelight-emitting transistor.
 5. The method as defined by claim 1, whereinsaid step of providing a tilted charge light-emitting device comprisesproviding a tilted charge transistor laser.
 6. The method as defined byclaim 1, wherein said step of providing a photodetector comprisesproviding a photodiode.
 7. The method as defined by claim 1, whereinsaid step of providing a photodetector comprises providing a photodiodeand an amplifier.
 8. The method as defined by claim 1, wherein said stepof providing a photodetector comprises providing a phototransistor. 9.The method as defined by claim 1, wherein said step of providing anoptical fiber comprises providing a cable of optical fibers.
 10. Themethod as defined by claim 1, wherein said electrical driver circuit isa circuit designed for a conductive copper cable link, and furthercomprising powering said tilted charge light-emitting device from saidelectrical driver circuit.
 11. The method as defined by claim 10,wherein said step of powering said tilted charge light-emitting devicefrom said electrical driver circuit comprises powering said tiltedcharge light-emitting device with a power source from a chipset that ispart of said electrical driver circuit.
 12. The method as defined byclaim 1, further comprising, for use in establishing a communicationlink between said second location and a first location, said secondlocation having a further electrical driver circuit that receivesfurther input data to be communicated, and said first location having afurther electrical receiver circuit for producing output datarepresentative of said further input data; the further steps of:providing a further tilted charge light emitting device at said secondlocation and coupled with said further driver circuit such that thelight produced by said further tilted charge light-emitting device is afunction of said further input data; providing a further optical fiberbetween said second and first locations; coupling light from saidfurther tilted charge light emitting device into said further opticalfiber; providing, at said first location, a further photodetectorcoupled with said further optical fiber and with said further receivercircuit; whereby further electrical signals representative of saidfurther input data are output from said further receiver circuit. 13.For use in establishing a communication link between a first locationand a second location, said first location having a transmitter chipsetthat receives input data to be communicated, and said second locationhaving a receiver chipset for producing output data representative ofsaid input data; a method comprising the steps of: providing a tiltedcharge light emitting device at said first location and coupled withsaid transmitter chipset such that the light produced by said tiltedcharge light-emitting device is a function of said input data; providingan optical fiber between said first and second locations; coupling lightfrom said tilted charge light emitting device into said optical fiber;providing, at said second location, a photodetector coupled with saidoptical fiber and with said receiver; whereby electrical signalsrepresentative of said input data are output from said receiver chipset.14. The method as defined by claim 13, wherein said transmitter chipsetincludes a driver circuit, and wherein said step of providing a tiltedcharge light-emitting device coupled with said transmitter chipsetcomprises directly coupling said tilted charge light emitting devicewith said driver circuit.
 15. The method as defined by claim 14, whereinsaid driver circuit includes an open collector transistor and said stepof providing said tilted charge light-emitting device coupled with saiddriver circuit comprises coupling the collector of said transistor withsaid tilted charge light-emitting device.
 16. The method as defined byclaim 13, wherein said step of providing a tilted charge light-emittingdevice comprises providing a tilted charge light-emitting diode.
 17. Themethod as defined by claim 13, wherein said step of providing a tiltedcharge light-emitting device comprises providing a tilted charge diodelaser.
 18. The method as defined by claim 13, wherein said step ofproviding a tilted charge light-emitting device comprises providing atilted charge light-emitting transistor.
 19. The method as defined byclaim 13, wherein said step of providing a tilted charge light-emittingdevice comprises providing a tilted charge transistor laser.
 20. For usein improving a communication link between a first location and a secondlocation, said first location having an electrical driver circuit thatreceives input data to be communicated, and said second location havingan electrical receiver circuit for producing output data representativeof said input data, said link being adapted to have an electricallyconductive cable coupled between said electrical driver circuit and saidelectrical receiver circuit; a method comprising the steps of: removingsaid electrically conductive cable; providing a tilted charge lightemitting device at said first location and coupled with said drivercircuit such that the light produced by said tilted chargelight-emitting device is a function of said input data; providing anoptical fiber between said first and second locations; coupling lightfrom said tilted charge light emitting device into said optical fiber;providing, at said second location, a photodetector coupled with saidoptical fiber and with said receiver circuit; whereby electrical signalsrepresentative of said input data are output from said receiver circuit.21. The method as defined by claim 20, further comprising powering saidtilted charge light-emitting device from said electrical driver circuit.22. The method as defined by claim 21, wherein said step of poweringsaid tilted charge light-emitting device from said electrical drivercircuit comprises powering said tilted charge light-emitting device witha power source from a chipset that is part of said electrical drivercircuit.
 23. The method as defined by claim 20, wherein saidelectrically conductive cable comprises a twisted pair cable, and saidstep of removing said cable comprises removing said twisted pair cable.24. The method as defined by claim 20, wherein said electricallyconductive cable comprises a coaxial cable, and said step of removingsaid cable comprises removing said coaxial cable.
 25. A method for highspeed communication of input information, comprising the steps of:producing a pair of phase-opposed electrical signals representative ofsaid input information; providing a three terminal tilted-chargelight-emitting device in a common collector configuration; applying oneof said phase-opposed signals to a base-collector input of said tiltedcharge light-emitting device and the other of said phase opposed signalsto an emitter-collector input of said tilted charge light-emittingdevice, to produce an optical signal as a function of both of saidphase-opposed signals; communicating said optical signal to a receivinglocation; and receiving said optical signal at said receiving locationand converting said optical signal to an output electrical signalrepresentative of said input information.
 26. The method as defined byclaim 25, wherein said optical signal, which is a function of both ofsaid phase-opposed signals, is proportional to the sum of the absolutevalues of the phase-opposed signals.
 27. The method as defined by claim25, wherein said step of providing a three terminal tilted-chargelight-emitting device comprises providing a light-emitting transistor.28. The method as defined by claim 25, wherein said step of providing athree terminal tilted-charge light-emitting device comprises providing atransistor laser.
 29. The method as defined by claim 25, wherein saidstep of communicating said optical signal to a receiving locationcomprises communicating said optical signal over a fiber opticalwaveguide.
 30. The method as defined by claim 25, further comprising thestep of applying first and second equalizer functions to respective onesof said pair of phase-opposed electrical signals before applying saidphase-opposed signals to said tilted charge light-emitting device. 31.The method as defined by claim 30, wherein said step of applying saidfirst equalizer function includes applying a first type of frequencyfiltering, and said step of applying said second equalizer functionincludes applying a second type of frequency filtering that is differentthan said first type of frequency filtering.
 32. The method as definedby claim 31, wherein said first type of frequency filtering compriseslow pass filtering and said second type of frequency filtering compriseshigh pass filtering.
 33. For use in a system for high speedcommunication wherein an input electrical signal representative of inputinformation is converted to an optical signal that is communicated to areceiving location and converted to an output electrical signalrepresentative of said input information; a method for converting saidinput electrical signal into said optical signal, comprising the stepsof: providing a three terminal tilted-charge light-emitting device in acommon collector configuration; and applying one of said phase-opposedinputs to a base-collector input of said tilted charge light-emittingdevice and the other of said phase opposed signals to anemitter-collector input of said tilted charge light-emitting device, toproduce an optical signal as a function of both of said phase-opposedsignals.
 34. The method as defined by claim 33, wherein said opticalsignal, which is a function of both of said phase-opposed signals, isproportional to the sum of the absolute values of the phase-opposedsignals.
 35. The method as defined by claim 33, wherein said step ofproviding a three terminal tilted-charge light-emitting device comprisesproviding a light-emitting transistor.
 36. The method as defined byclaim 33, wherein said step of providing a three terminal tilted-chargelight-emitting device comprises providing a transistor laser.
 37. Themethod as defined by claim 33, further comprising the step of applyingfirst and second equalizer functions to respective ones of said pair ofphase-opposed electrical signals before applying said phase-opposedsignals to said tilted charge light-emitting device.
 38. The method asdefined by claim 37, wherein said step of applying said first equalizerfunction includes applying a first type of frequency filtering, and saidstep of applying said second equalizer function includes applying asecond type of frequency filtering that is different than said firsttype of frequency filtering.
 39. The method as defined by claim 38,wherein said first type of frequency filtering comprises low passfiltering and said second type of frequency filtering comprises highpass filtering.